Armed Islamic rebels shot dead a man and his pregnant wife before slitting the throats of their two children in renewed violence in Algeria which claimed the lives of 17 people, newspapers said Saturday.

The attack on the couple and their children aged five and six happened late on Wednesday in the town of Boumedfaa, southwest of the capital, newspapers said.

Also on Wednesday, 13 rebels were killed by Algerian security forces near to Jijel, 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of Algiers, the daily Oran newspaper reported.

During the operation, security forces discovered the headless and decomposing bodies of a further 20 armed rebels -- 13 of whom were dressed in Afghan clothes while seven were wearing combat fatigues, the paper said.

It is thought those killed were victims of fighting between rival groups who cut off their comrades' heads to avoid identification by Algerian security forces, the paper said – ALGIERS (AFP)